Gazania Gaertn.

Compositae, G. V. Pope. Flora Zambesiaca 6:1. 1992

Morphology General Habit

Plants scapose, or with suberect to decumbent leafy stems. Perennial herbs with woody rootstocks, (rarely annual herbs or dwarf subshrubs with woody branches).

Morphology Leaves

Leaves basal and crowded, or alternate, araneose or glabrescent on the upper surface, white felted-araneose beneath, ± linear to oblanceolate or obovate, entire or pinnatilobed to pinnatifid.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula heterogamous, radiate, solitary on scapes or terminal on the stem and branches.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries

Phyllaries connate below into a deeply cup-shaped ± campanulate involucre, sometimes ± obconic; free parts in 2–3 rows inserted on the rim of the connate part, with none or few scattered on the fused portion.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle

Receptacle ± shallowly alveolate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Disk-florets hermaphrodite, numerous, corollas yellow, infundibuliform; anther bases sagittate, shortly mucronate-acuminate; style branches linear; achenes narrowly turbinate, villous with hairs exceeding or ± equalling the pappus; pappus of biseriate subequal narrow delicate accrescent scales, at first difficult to distinguish from the ovary hairs, the outer pappus scales sessile, the inner scales shortly stipitate. Ray-florets uniseriate, neuter, without staminodes; corollas mostly yellow with rays sometimes whitish or orange inside and greenish or reddish-striped outside, sometimes with a dark spot at the base, strap-shaped ascending-erect; achenes wanting.